Friday, 29 July 2011

Readers, you are lucky, because I am brewing within me a post about Why Supermarkets Are Bad, and I have taken the photographs and everything, but then I remembered it was Finished Object Friday, thank you Tami you have saved us all. So you have got a reprieve until next week when I may be able to treat the subject with more humour than just doing a rant about inadequate planning processes in the UK, although until then you can look at the Stop Sainsbury's On Mill Road song (Mill Road is the main street with independent shops in Cambridge) and tell me if you think it's going to bring down global capitalism. Anyway, who wants to read a rant about inadequate planning processes in the UK when they can look at a knitted item? Exactly.

Before I start, though, I think (serious face) we need to think briefly about what constitutes a Finished Object. Something that is ready to wear? Hmmm. Something that no longer has the needles in it? Hmmm. Something that is blocked and has all the ends woven in? Oh, ha ha ha ha ha. For the purposes of this post I would like to propose a new definition of a finished object, namely, an object might be classed as finished enough for FO Friday if the balls of wool are no longer attached. So I have snipped them off and photographed them, look, so that is proof.

Separate, discrete, severed ERGO item is finished and there is no argument. {Fingers in ears}

And now here is my FO.

There'll be no Second Mitten Syndrome and other effeteness in this house

You might feel those needles will cause problems when the mittens are being worn, I choose to see them as an additional feature

Pattern: garden gnome mittens, available here. I used KnitPicks Palette, and I do believe this is your cheapest option in terms of price per yard for stranded knitting, but they have come out quite large (I am a loose knitter, and used 2mm needles because I am just beyond hardcore,) so sock yarn might work a bit better. They will look much more even when they are blocked, but I have to say, I quite like them even at this point. I think I like following colourwork charts more than I like any other kind of knitting, and I wish I had realised you could knit stranded with two yarns in your right hand 5 years ago, as I would now have a stack of fairisle socks and mittens with mad things on them but never mind, onwards and upwards as they say and I hear a Steek calling me in the future. ‘Suuuuusie’ it whispers, seductively. ‘Do not be afraid. I am your path to Bohus jumpers. Heed my call’.

Although, as a brief break from stranded colourwork, this is what I am going to knit next. I have the yarn (again, thank God for KnitPicks! Cheaper than everywhere else!). I have printed out the pattern. But do I have the courage? We will have to see. If you wish to send vibes, they would be much appreciated. And if you wish to see more finished objects, some of which may not even still have the needles in them, get off to Tami's blog, where there will be a plethora!

Oh wow, those are amazing. What a cool (and to me, daunting-as-hell looking!) chart, and it looks so simple and great in the colours you picked. I think the siren call of moooore pretty charts is worth heeding! And I love that City Stole pattern.

No one is more forgiving on the definition of FO than I am. I have even counted things that I'm frogging -- I am finished working on them, right?

But seriously -- those are gorgeous mittens. Your colorwork skills are impressive. I can't wait till you take on steeking so that we less daring souls may live vicariously as you -- gasp -- cut up your knitting.

Alittlebitsheepish, no I don't because I kind of made it up as I went along. There is a video by Gradschoolknitter here, which might be helpful:http://gradschoolknitter.blogspot.com/2007/07/float-weaving-tutorial.htmlOtherwise, this is what I do in words:I hold both yarns in my right hand. I tension them both by trapping them between the knuckles of my middle and ring fingers, and separate them with my index finger. To knit the one in front of my index finger, I throw (this is how I knit normally). To knit the other one, I flick my index finger. To weave, you have to do it over two stitches. To weave the back colour while knitting the front, you take the front colour behind the back while knitting the stitch, then hold it above on the next stitch. To weave the front in the back, you have to actually twist the yarns with your hand, then untwist them on the next stitch.

Is that clear as mud? It's actually DEAD EASY honestly, there's no reason to do it two handed if you don't want to. Go for it! I'm with you in spirit xx

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Hello! Welcome to my blog about sewing, clothes, crochet, knitting, and generally trying to live in a crafty and conscious way. Generally you can assume if it stays still long enough I've tried to either French seam it or poke it with a crochet hook.

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